OUTDOOR ADVERTISING

OUTDOOR ADVERTISING

Media that reach prospects outside their homes-like outdoor advertising, bus and taxicab advertising, subway posters, and terminal advertising — are part of the broad category of out-of-home media. 

Media that reaches prospects outside of their homes is called out-of-home media. There are more than 30 different types of out-of-home media generating $5.2 billion in annual revenues in 2000. The most common out-of-home media are on-premise signs.

It is the one medium that carries a message 24 hours a day, seven days a week, day and night, and without interruption. It's never turned off, zipped, zapped, put aside, or left unopened. In addition, it's big. Some experts now refer to billboards as the last mass medium.

Outdoor Advertising is the best place to reach consumers because it can’t be turned off, has an incredible footprint across India and can be extremely targeted. An outdoor billboard is always there, every time the target group step outside.

Outdoor Advertising is so much about the audience and as such, the best companies can deliver key messages in the best locations. The “best” locations are simply a measurement for the type of audience in that area, (purely, customer segmentation). By being able to drill down to this level of granularity, advertisers can benefit even more by providing creative advertising to a very specific demographic.

Outdoor advertising includes various types of promotional displays, from highway billboards to transit posters and arena placement, all geared towards communicating a message to the public.

Out-of home media include outdoor posters (Billboards, Painted Bulletins and on-and-of premise signs of all descriptions. Whatever may be the slight difference in the interpretation; all outdoor ads have no editorial vehicle to carry the messages.

The viewer has to incur no expenditure, nor has he to make any effort to see an outdoor advertising, where as this is not so with other media. An ad message is not brought to the audience; it is audience who go the message, though they view it in the course of their other activities. Outdoor ads offer repeat opportunities for looking at the ad messages, either at the same place on an identical Billboard at another location.

Forms of outdoor advertising

I Billboard

What is a Billboard?

Billboards are advertisements that provide information to passing vehicles and pedestrians. These large formats out of home advertising structures typically found in high traffic areas and are viewed at distances of 50 feet or more. There are a few types of billboards and their sizes usually depend on the speed of traffic and distance from the person viewing it.

Types of billboard:

1. Bulletin: A billboard on a highway or expressway is commonly called a bulletin. Bulletin billboards are usually located in highly visible, heavy traffic areas such as expressways, primary arteries, and major intersections. With extended periods of high visibility, billboard advertisements provide advertisers with significant impact on commuters. This is the largest standard out of home advertising format, usually measuring at 11x48 in overall size.

2. Poster: A billboard on a secondary roadway where traffic is 30 mph - 50 mph is commonly called a poster. A poster is usually about half of the width of a bulletin. Target local audiences with these billboards, which are highly visible to vehicular traffic and are ideal for the introduction of new products/services. Marketers use posters to achieve advertising objectives and increase brand awareness by placing multiple units in strategic locations while lowering the cost per thousand impressions. This is a standardized poster format, typically measuring 12'3" x 24'6"; formally known as a 30-Sheet Poster. Posters have a "local" presence and can target demographic or geographic target very effectively. Posters are closer to street and traffic. Posters were originally called 30 sheet posters because they were once 30 pages of paper posted with glue on the billboard. Poster billboards are usually campaigns that last 4 to 8 weeks. These posters advertising campaigns are much more locally focused and can target demographic or geographic areas. Posters are often called the “workhorse” out of home advertising because they provide wide distribution and continuity of a message. Excellent for providing instant consumers awareness for seasonal promotions, special events and new product launches.

Due to their inexpensive price, they can be used for long term advertising campaigns and can easily fit in most ad budgets. Campaigns can be easily targeted based on geographic and demographic criteria.

They provide deep market penetration to reach both pedestrian and vehicle traffic at or near point of purchase locations. Posters are extremely cost efficient and lower the CPM (cost per thousand impressions) when added to an existing advertising campaign. Posters are digitally/screen printed on recyclable vinyl.

3. Premier Panels, & Premier Squares: Premier Panels offer greater copy area by converting a standard 30-Sheet Poster panel into a 300 sq.ft. vinyl surface, affording copy area of 12’3” H x 24’6” W. Premier Square is a stacked Poster, wrapped with vinyl, to create a unique “square” format that is designed to draw attention to the advertiser’s message.

4. Digital Billboards (14' high x 48'wide, 10.5' high x 36' wide, or similar sizes). Digital billboards are a broadcast type of media for outdoor allowing advertisers to target their audience and flexibility. Digital Billboards offer tremendous creative flexibility allowing up-to-the-moment message opportunities. Unlike static displays, creative displays can be changed monthly, weekly, daily or hourly from a computer terminal. Digital Displays offer high-impact, crisp full-color definition and image quality. With the ability to immediately customize the advertising messages time-sensitive messages such as one-day promotions, special events, Amber and news alerts can be instantly promoted.

5. Wallscapes - (over 700 sq feet) very large format outdoor advertising that is usually in metropolitan area or a landmark location for extended viewing. Wallscapes are generally the signature piece in an outdoor campaign and create a lasting impression. Wallscapes are the largest of all the outdoor advertising products and can be several stories tall and wrap an entire side of a building. Wallscapes create maximum impact of the advertising message and are often the crown jewel of an advertising campaign. The message becomes a dramatic landmark and reaches both pedestrian and vehicle traffic with massive impact, sometimes from great distances. These mammoth advertising displays create instant top of mind awareness and dramatic impact. Because building designs come in such a wide variety, wallscapes can have unusual shapes and sizes which help draw the attention to them. Sides of buildings in urban and downtown areas, major highways and heavily traveled primary roads. Typically produced on vinyl or vinyl mesh. Programs are usually long term.

6. Spectaculars: As the name implies, outdoor spectaculars are large, usually unique, displays designed for maximum attention in high traffic areas. They consist of special lighting or other types of ingenious material and innovations. In some cases, they utilize a building as the canvas for the message. The cost of spectaculars is very expensive and both production and space rentals are normally negotiated on a one-time basis. The minimum contract period for most spectaculars, however, is usually a year.

 

Other types of out of home

II. Kiosks

Advertisers are extensively using pole kiosks, electric pole kiosks to reach their audience while they are out of home, whether on the roads, exhibitions or trade fairs. It is an outdoor medium that supports consecutive message display with affordability. Advertisements of this sort are constantly before the eyes of observers on the streets, be it vehicular or pedestrian. Kiosks are placed in a sequence of poles that allow for repetitive advertising and hence result in higher registration.

The kiosks are automatically lit by the lighting on the pole above them but you can also use specially designed back-lit box type kiosks for greater visibility .

Pole kiosks can be effectively used to advertise a local shop or store in the vicinity of the pole. They can be even used to give out store directions using arrows to lead the prospect to your store.

They enjoy a quick turnaround time, that is, they can be changed in a short span of time. They offer flexibility with respect to creative applications and ad content. They even support complete flow of communication of a particular campaign, being a string of information, right from introduction to benefits to contact information that can be placed sequentially on successive pole kiosks.

Compared to the billboards these kiosks are very small in size, so the message has to be to the point and legible to fast moving traffic. It should not exceed more than 3-4 words per kiosk and be spread over to 2-3 consecutive boards or kiosks if it is long. Campaigns using 3-5 consecutive boards should have some consistency and must appear and communicate as a single campaign.

 

III. Street Furniture

From the beginning of each morning to the end of the day's rush hour and into the evening's entertainment, the streets are busy, making them a perfect selling opportunity. Street Furniture enables advertisers to connect with consumers on a face to face level and provide broad-based coverage in many markets or a single neighborhood. Product options are abundant ranging from telephone kiosks, urban panels, news racks, beach kiosks, bus benches, to trash receptacles and more. Street Furniture is visible to pedestrian and vehicular traffic offering a high reach and frequency for brand awareness or point-of-purchase opportunities

The following are the advantages of the outdoor media:

1. The outdoor offers long life.

2. It offers geographic selectivity. Billboards give us the flexibility to vary the ad message to suit a particular segment of the market. An advertiser can use this medium nationally, globally, by region, by market and even by specific location within those markets.

3. The advertiser can incorporate the names and addresses of his local dealers or agents at the bottom of the poster. These dealer imprint strips are called snipes.

4. The outdoor offers impact. Shoppers are exposed to last minute reminders by outdoor advertising when they are driving down to the stores or a shopping centre. Outdoor displays are in large size and in bright colour, and have a provocative message- all of which make a good impact on prospective customers.

5. Outdoor advertising allows for a psychedelic display of the product, trademark and slogan.

6. Life-like Visuals and Lifestyle Advertising: New technology makes it easier to advertise the branch on hoardings. It reinforces the TV and Print advertising.

Outdoor alone among all other media generates for the local governments and civic bodies.

Outdoor advertising has the following limitations:

1. Since the copy of billboard ads must be brief, it places a limitation on getting the message across to the prospect in enough words. This brevity has made outdoor advertising merely supplementary advertising. The print or broadcasting media are mainly relied upon to deliver longer messages.

2. Outdoor advertising is non-selective in the sense that the audience who get the exposure are people of all ages, sexes, educational and socio-economical levels. There is no selectivity of a particular type of audience.

3. Outdoor advertising when employed on a national basis is relatively expensive.

4. Blind spot is the most dangerous thing that advertiser fear when it comes to outdoor advertising. The term is used to refer to a campaign that is sustained for a long -time. The question is how to continuously create novelty in hoardings. Amul has overcome blind spot syndrome.

5. There is a problem of getting the reliable data on the number of people who actually see an advertisement.

6. Price of message decay: Most advertisers find that it takes more and more money every year to advertise. Message decay has emerged as a major problem for all advertisers.

7. The outdoor advertising industry is mainly a local business operation. Several individual firms run by a single businessmen, own posters and painted display location. In cities, town and in road sides, which sell those individual location for outdoor advertising to advertiser.

8. Normally, the sale of a location is for a certain period of days or weeks or months. There are also large firm owning large number of locations. Selvel and Advertiser are some of the names that are popular in outdoor location selling business. There are few chain of firms operating in this business.

9. With a regard to the location of outdoor advertising, let this point be stated clearly that its value is only in its location. In order to be effective the angle of the billboard from the road, and such other accepts has helped in gaining better attention of the motorist, are important.

Ref: Dr. H. Lakdawala's Media Planning and Buying Notes